The Battle of the Hellmouth
by Brimstone
Summary: Angel must return to Sunnydale to prevent the Hellmouth from falling in to the hands of the One. This is set after the events of the Gift. Chapter 2 now posted
1. Default Chapter

Buffy

Buffy the Vampire Slayer.The battle of the Hellmouth.

Buffy and Angel characters belong to WB and UPN respectively.

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History.

This story is set a few months after Buffy died in the Gift. Giles has reluctantly returned to England to await a new slayer. Dawn is now living with Anya and Xander. Spike to honour Buffy's memory has taken over the duties as protector of Sunnydale as the news of the death spreads more and more Vamps and Daemons are coming to Sunnydale.

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Angel was cover in the blood of the Cavlar beast, which he had been hunting down in the sewers of LA for the past two weeks while trying unsuccessfully to come to terms with the death of Buffy. As Angel walked through the doors of his hotel he looked up to see a group standing by the check in desk. Instantly he recognised them as lawyers from Wolfram and Hart. 

"You know I have someone working on a spell to keep out people like you." Said Angel as he slipped out of his long black coat to show the long deadly axe hanging at his side. Angel smiled to himself as he saw fear flash through the lawyers eyes. 

"Don't worry about this." Angel said as he threw the axe down on to one of the seats. "So what have I done to honour the presence of the all mighty Wolfram and Hart?"

"We are here with a client." Said one of the lawyers. "He wishes to employ the services of Angel Investigations."

"Sorry." Said Angel. "But I'm a bit picky about who I work for."

"But we are willing to pay." Said the lawyer.

"Sorry again no sale." Replied Angel. Angel was beginning to get tired of these creeps always in his life.

"Not even for me?" asked a voice from behind the counter. Angel looked over to where the voice had come from to see a tall man with tied back black hair and a small beard, he was dressed in a black suit which looked to Angel like it cost more money than he had seen in his entire immortal life.

"My name's Nick Lance." Said the man.

"I know who you are." Replied Angel. The man standing in front of him was the richest man in the world. Every one knew who he was, Nick Lance had even brought the city of New Haven after it had been closed down by the government over some sort of life threatening contamination. Now New Haven had become one of the largest industrial cities in the world thanks to the Lance Corporation.

"I'm here to ask you if you for any information about a place called Sunnydale." Said Lance. "I heard that you stayed there for a while."

"That's true." Said Angel as he watched Nick Lance come around from behind the counter with two glasses in his hands. Angel recognised that one of the glasses contained blood. "But why do you want to know about Sunnydale?"

Nick Lance handed Angel the glass with the blood in it. Angel took a sip of the blood enjoying the nervous looks on the lawyers' faces.

"Ever since the Slayer died." Said Nick Lance carefully watching Angel's reaction at the death of the Slayer. "My scientists have noticed a large increase of demon and vampire activity in the area of Sunnydale. But I guess you already know that. My concern is that several of my employees have gone missing in that area recently."

"And what does that have to do with me?" asked Angel sarcastically.

"I think it has a lot to do with you." Replied Nick Lance. "I sent them to Sunnydale to investigate reports of an attempt to reopen the Hellgate."

Angel almost choked on his blood. 

"B-but the Hellgate can never be reopened." Said Angel. "It was closed by Buff- I mean the Slayer."

"That may be true." Replied Nick Lance. "But my men have disappeared for some reason. I need you to take me to Sunnydale to find them. I'll make it worth your while."

"And what could you possibly have that would get me to work for you or Wolfram and Hart?" said Angel eyeing the lawyers.

Nick Lance glanced over at the lawyers. Immediately they stepped aside to allow one of them to walk over to Angel carrying a large briefcase. The lawyer then placed the briefcase on to the table and backed away. Nick Lance then leaned over and popped the locks on the briefcase. Angel glanced down at the contents of the case.

"There is one hundred thousand dollars in that case." Explained Nick Lance. "Call it an advance. I have one hundred thousand dollars waiting for you for each of my employees that we find. Dead or alive. So what do you say are you willing to have Angel Investigations work this case."

Angel thought for a second about the offer. As Wesley was the one who was truly in charge of Angel Investigations Angel was reluctant to accept the case. But Nick Lance was offering more money than anyone had before. And five hundred thousand dollars would do wonders.

"Let me talk to my partners and I'll get back to you." Said Angel finally.

Nick Lance looked a little disappointed as he stood and held out his hand to Angel. Then he smiled.

"Don't take too long." Said Nick Lance. "Remember that there are lives in danger. I contact you tomorrow night."

Nick Lance then shook Angel's hand. Angel watched as Nick Lance and the lawyers from Wolfram and Hart walked out of the hotel. Once the doors had closed Angel's attention turned back to the case full of money.

"So do you think he'll do it?" asked one of the lawyers as she opened the door of the limo to allow Nick Lance inside.

"He'll do It." hissed Nick Lance as he sat down. "I need him to be in Sunnydale when I close the Hellmouth. Only his blood can start the procedure then after that the sacrifices will begin."

"Wolfram and Hart have already come up with the necessary documents for you to sign that states that you were elsewhere and have no knowledge of the events in Sunnydale." Said the lawyer.

Nick Lance turned to the lawyer his face was now no longer that of the owner of Lancecorp but was now it showed his true form of the One the demon vampire.

"Good the last thing I need is the questions about the disappearance of everyone in Sunnydale when I buy the town." Hissed the One. "Now can you tell me where the best place I can find top quality blood? I'm getting more than a little hungry."

"I know the perfect place." Said the lawyer as she tapped on the driver's window. "Nothing but the best for a client of Wolfram and Hart."

It was a hectic night for Spike as he stalked the graveyards of Sunnydale. To Spike it seemed that every demon across the world had learnt about the death of Buffy and had come to Sunnydale to see if the rumours were true. So far Spike had already slayed six vampires and stopped a nasty Hogtroll from eating a bus full of students. For the moment at least it was quiet.

Suddenly Spike heard the sound of crashing wood. Racing through the graveyard Spike came across three vampires breaking in to a crypt.

"Out on a shopping spree?" said Spike as he pulled his stake out from his leather coat. "I do hope you've got me something really nice."

"Is that you Spike?" growled one of the vampires as the three turned away from the crypt. Spike immediately recognised them.

"Oh bugger." Said Spike. Standing in front of him was three vampires he had met in Australia, they had parted on bad terms when Spike had killed the fourth member of their team for making a pass at his then girlfriend Drusila.

"So." Said the first vampire Spike knew as Adams. "The vamp that kills its own kind is you. I had thought that it may have been that Angelus you've told us about so many times."

"Things change." Replied Spike.

"Not much." Said the second vampire called Brett. "We should have guessed that it was you. Don't think we haven't forgotten about what you did to Jay….or Lex."

Spike looked up at the huge Lex.

"I see that, that nasty neck wound still there." Said Spike remembering that he had slit open Lex's throat when he came after Spike for killing Jay. Lex glanced down at Spike and growled. Suddenly all three vampires charged at Spike. Spike was slammed in to a tree by Lex before he could get a good shot on the vampire with his stake. Spike could feel the tree breaking under the weight of Lex. Spike quickly drove his knee in to Lex's guts. Lex groaned as Spike struck him in the groin. Spike then kicked away Lex but before he could do anything Spike was hit from both sides by Brett and Adams. The blow knocked the stake from Spike's hand. Spike headbutted Brett in the nose. Brett let out a roar as he let go of Spikes arm to cover his bleeding nose. Spike quickly used his freed arm and wrapped it around Adams's neck.

Spike yanked Adams of him and as he had Adams around the head Spike drove his fist in to Adams's face. Seeing his brother Brett grabbed Spike's fallen stake and charged at Spike. Spike quickly span Adams around and lifted him up in time for Brett to drive the stake in to Adams's chest.

Adams barely had time to make a sound as he turned to dust. Brett looked horrified as the dust of his brother scattered in the winds. Spike quickly grabbed the stake as it fell to the floor and was about to send Brett to the same fate when Lex slammed his huge body in to Spike driving him to the ground. As Spike and Lex rolled around the ground trading blows Brett grabbed hold of the stake. Brett then leaped on to Spike as Lex drove his fist in to Spike's face. Brett was about to drive the stake in to spike's heart when the crypt that they were raiding suddenly exploded in flames. 

Brett was thrown to the ground by the flying debris. Spike fought off Lex and glanced at the burning crypt. Spike could swear that he saw a figure form inside the flames, but before he could do anything about it he was struck again by Lex. Lex drove a double-handed blow to the middle of Spike's back sending him to the ground again. Lex then dragged Spike to his feet and held him tight as Brett walked up to him.

"That's two of my brothers you have killed. I'm going to drive this stake in to your heart and spread the dust all over a pig sty……LOOK AT ME!!!" Spike just stared past Brett waving the stake in front of his face and in to the flames.

The figure in the flames had gone. But Spike could swear that something was moving there. Suddenly Spike's attention was dragged back to Brett once Brett drove his fist in to Spike's gut.

"I said look at me!" hissed Brett as Lex grabbed Spike by the back of the head and yanked head up. Brett raised his hand in the air and was about to drive the stake in to Spike when a hand suddenly shot out of the flames and grabbed hold of Brett by the neck. Brett tried to turn around when the hand closed around Brett's neck snapping his head cleanly off his shoulders.

Seeing his last brother turn to dust Lex threw Spike to one side and charged at his brother's killer. Spike watched as Lex threw his huge body at his equally huge opponent. Lex was thrown through the air and crashed in to a large gravestone. As Lex tried to get to his feet he let out as scream as his chest ripped open in flames.

Surprised at what he saw Spike turned back to Lex's killer and was about to thank his rescuer when he felt the same hand that had killed Brett grabbed him around the throat. Spike was lifted up in to the air by the most powerful and evil looking creature he had seen. Spike could not see its face as it was covered in a black and red mask surrounded by a mass of shaggy black hair.

"You are not one of them." It growled in a deep powerful voice. "You are no interest to Brimstone!"

Spike was then thrown through the air. Spike watched as the huge creature dressed in black and red armour walk away. Then suddenly he realised who it was. Brimstone the enforcer of Hell's rules and the most feared warrior of Satan's warriors.

"Oh shit." Said Spike as he realised that Sunnydale was now truly in trouble.

****

To be continued.


	2. 

Buffy2 ****

Buffy: The Vampire Slayer. The Battle of the Hellmouth: Continued.

"Brimstone is Satan's most feared warrior." explained Spike as the remaining members of what was once called the 'Scooby Gang' closed the Magic shop for the night.

"How do you know about this Brimstone creature?" asked Willow. "I've never came across anything that mentioned the name of Brimstone."

"You wouldn't." said Spike. "His history has been lost over the centuries. But every demon on the planet knows of his power."

"What do you know of him?" asked Willow hoping that Spike could tell them exactly what they maybe facing. Willow could see a small amount of fear flash across Spike's face.

"All I know of Brimstone comes from tales I have heard during my travels." explained Spike. 

"Well don't keep it to yourself." said Xander from the back of the shop.

Spike sighed at Xander's interruption.

"I was just about to." hissed Spike. Then Spike turned back to Willow. "Before I was interrupted I was about to tell you all of what I've heard of Brimstone. Every demon is brought up to fear the legend of Brimstone. The legend says that Brimstone was once a human child and son to a general in one of the many armies in the battles between Satan's forces and those commanded by the powers that be. The general's forces won many battles against Satan's forces. These losses began to force Satan in to drastic measures. So Satan set several of his 

best warriors to capture the general's son.

They captured the general's son and dragged him down in to Hell. There Satan sensed a great powerful energy flowing through his body. Deciding that he could use this power Satan sent the boy to the slave mines of Hell.

As the years rolled by the boy grew in to a powerful man. Satan set many challenges for the boy to pass. Which he did much to Satan's pleasure. With every test he passed the power that Satan had felt grew stronger. As this power grew stronger the tests became deadlier. Soon he was named Brimstone and became an enforcement officer capturing any souls that couldn't give up their past lifetimes and continued with the very thing that sent them to Hell in the first place. Brimstone soon became the most feared officer and was granted the power to freely pass through the barriers that separate Hell's domain from our own to capture anything that escaped to our side of the barrier. So you see why every demon fears Brimstone."

"So he's just the demon world's version of the 'Boogie man'?" said Xander.

"He's not just a 'Boogie man'" said Anya. "I've heard those stories as well and thought of them as only legend. Then I once dated a demon that was hiding from Brimstone. I'm telling you it wasn't pretty what he did to my boyfriend when he found him." Anya then put her arms around Xander.

"I hate to admit It." said Spike. "The ex-demon is right." It means something big is about to happen. As I've heard that this side of the barrier is Brimstone is the last place he cares to be."

Brimstone made his way to a large building site with a huge misshapen metal tower sat in the middle of the site. The site was surrounded with large wooden boards and 'keep out' signs. Brimstone could sense that this place was filled with death and that this was the place to begin his quest to find the thirteen swords of Hell that were stolen from his domain. Brimstone was just about to tear down the wooden boards when a security guard walked around the corner.

"Hey what's going on here?" said the guard.

Brimstone quickly span around and grabbed the guard around the throat. The guard kicked in the air as Brimstone lifted him in to the air.

"What is this place?" growled Brimstone.

The guard tried to break free of Brimstone's grip but he was too frozen with fear to harm Brimstone so the guard told him what he wanted to know.

"This site belongs to Lancecorp." wheezed the guard. "It's going to be turned in to the main headquarters for Lancecorp in this area."

Brimstone turned to the building site and growled.

"This place stinks of the One." snarled Brimstone. "You will tell me where he has hidden my swords!"

The guard stared at the huge monster's glowing red eyes.

"I-i-i know nothing of any swords." said the guard. "I just patrol the site."

Brimstone dropped the guard to the ground. Then Brimstone pulled his sword from its holder strapped to his back and was about use it to slice through the boards that surrounded the building site when the guard pulled out his gun and fired at Brimstone.

Brimstone span as he heard the gunshot. The bullet struck Brimstone in the chest. Brimstone looked down at the wound then at the guard. The guard backed away as fast as he could as Brimstone cast his glowing eyes up on the guard. The guard quickly fired the gun twice more before Brimstone leaped at the guard.

Brimstone moved with lightning like speed and grabbed the guard by the arm.

"P-p-please don't kill me!" begged the guard as he was lifted of the ground once more by the power of Brimstone.

"I do not kill mortals." Growled Brimstone in disgust. "But I can make you wish I had!"

The guard then let out a scream as Brimstone crushed his hand holding the gun then Brimstone flung the guard across the street and in to the windshield of a passing car.

Brimstone ignored the sound of screeching breaks and breaking glass as he turned around and headed back to the building site. Picking his sword up from where he dropped it Brimstone raised it high above his head and brought it crashing down on the wooden boards splitting them in half.

"Man why can't we just go out and get us some nice fresh blood?" said Jacob as he sat down next to the three other vampires inside the building site.

"Stop your whining we're not being paid to hunt 'sheep' we're here to protect the site." Said Andes tending the small fire, which they all sat around. "Besides this is the best blood money can buy."

Each of the vampires laughed, as they knew exactly where the blood came from. It was the blood of the only other person who had put a bid in for the site; he had mysteriously disappeared before Lanccorp made the winning bid.

Suddenly they heard a crash coming from the shadows of the site.

"Hey. Hey shut the hell up!" said Zachary the leader of the vampires. "I hear some thing back there."

"It's that idiot guard snooping around." Said Grahams as he finished his mug of blood. "He proberly wants to see some vamp action or something."

"I don't like it." Complained Jacob. "We have to work with a mortal and not being able to eat him just not right."

"I hear ya man." Said Grahams downing his blood. "Hey Zak will anyone miss the fool if we eat him?"

"I doubt it." Replied Zachary. "But we're under strict orders that we can't eat any mortals in the employ of Lancecorp. Andes go check it out. If it is that guard scare the shit out of him will you."

"And if it aint?" asked Andes as he got to his feet.

"Make sure that you don't make a mess." Replied Zachary. Andes smiled and raced off in to the darkness.

Angel sat staring at the case of money left by Nick Lance. Angel was surely tempted take the case and go to Sunnydale and help find Lance's missing employees. However Angel Investigations was Wesley's business now so he decided to wait for Wesley to phone from England where he was visiting Giles on a fact finding mission. Suddenly the doors to the hotel burst open and Angel saw Gunn carrying Cordelia through the doors.

"A little help would be nice!" called out Gunn.

Angel instantly got to his feet and raced over to Gunn.

"What happened?" asked Angel taking Cordelia from Gunn's arms and carrying her over to the nearest couch.

"She had a vision." replied Gunn. "And by the looks of things its a big one."

Angel grabbed a cloth and soaked it then placed it over Cordelia's forehead. Slowly Cordelia's eyes fluttered open.

"Are you okay?" asked Angel.

"You know you need to start asking a different question are you okay is getting so old." said Cordelia weakly.

"Well what did you see?" asked Angel realizing that Cordelia was in fact okay after her vision. Cordelia slowly sat up.

"Well I saw this monster twice as tall you Angel it was dressed all in black armor." explained Cordelia. "It had these glowing red eyes and.....Oh my!"

"What is it?" asked Angel as he heard Cordelia's voice trail off. Cordelia turned to Angel fear filling her bright eyes.

"Angel its not that thing I'm getting the feeling of danger from. Its the thing its fighting against." Cordelia looked up at Angel with tears in her eyes.

"Angel if that thing looses then every life in Sunnydale will be wiped out!"

"Where the hell is Andes!?" growled Grahams. "He's been gone ages. I swear he's out somewhere eating someone and not shareing it with us."

"I tell you if he has then I'll tear his throat out and drink the blood from his own neck." snapped Jacobs throwing down the piece of meat to the ground.

"Noone's going to do anything." hissed Zachary. "We'll give him ten more minutes to show his face. If he ain't here by then we'll go out and find him."

The two vampires nodded in agreement. Just then the darkness bust in to light as the fire they sat around erupted in to an inferno. Jacobs howled in pain as the flames set fire to one of the sleeves of his jacket.

"What the hell!" snarled Zachary jumping to his feet readying for battle. Suddenly he was struck by something heavy. As he hit the ground Zachary realized that the thing that had hit him was the body of Andes his neck horribly twisted around so that his face over looked his shoulder.

Then out of the darkness Zachary saw a huge form race past in a blur of speed. Zachary tried to warn Jacobs as he tried to put out the flames racing over his arm. Jacobs turned as he heard Zachary call out to him. Suddenly his chest erupted in a shower of blood and guts as a huge and deadly sword tore through his body. Zachary pushed the body of Adams off him and raced over to Jacobs as he turned to dust. Grahams picked up a large piece of flaming wood and raced over to their attacker. 

Brimstone span around and brought his sword up to block Grahams's blow from the flaming piece of wood. Cinders flew in every direction as Brimstone sliced the piece of wood and halfway through his hand. As Brimstone swung his sword around for another strike on Grahams Zachary drove his shoulder in to the back of Brimstone's knees. Brimstone barely moved as he swung his arm back and struck Zachary across the head. Zachary was sent flying as Brimstone turned back to Grahams. Grahams backed off holding his injured arm to his side.

"P-p-please don't kill me." pleaded Grahams as he backed in to a wall. "What do you want?"

In a blur of motion Brimstone's hand snapped out and grasped Grahams around the throat pinning him to the wall.

"Where are my swords?!" growled Brimstone his voice sending fear shooting throughout Grahams's body.

"I-i-i don't know anything about any swords!" pleaded Grahams. Brimstone then closed his hand around Grahams's neck that he could feel his neck begin to snap.

"You are lying!" snarled Brimstone. "I can sence the swords. I can feel their presence here."

Suddenly Brimstone leaped to one side as Zachary ran towards them with a flaming piece of wood in his hands. Grahams screamed as Zachary accidentally drove the wood through Grahams chest.

Zachary barely had time to breath before Brimstone attaked picking him up and slammed him to the ground.

"I'll ask again." hissed Brimstone.

"The One shall see you dead!" spat out Zachary. "I'll never tell you where the swords are."

Brimstone drove his fist in to Zachary's face.

"Beat me as much as you like." said Zachary his mouth full of blood. "But I'd rather die than betray the One."

"You do not have to worry about him, because soon you shall belong to me." growled Brimstone. Zachary looked up at Brimstone in surprise and before he

Could speak Brimstone moved out of the way and Zachary saw that the darkness was slowly being eroded away by the morning sun as it began to rise in to the sky.

As the sun rose higher Zachary began to scream in terror as the sunlight began to burn away his flesh.

"Mr Lance what are your thoughts about last nights arson attack."

Nick Lance turned and glanced over to the smoldering remains of his building site then he turned back to the camera man and the news reporter.

"This is only a minor set back." said Nick Lance. "This was observably work of vandals. So I have no worries when I say that work on the newest Lancecorp towers will be completed on time."

"Thank you for all your time." said the reporter before turning back to the camera to finish her report. 

Nick Lance strode over to his limo and climbed in. Fuming he turned to his lawyer from Wolfram and Hart.

"Tell where were the help you hired to guard my site." snapped Nick Lance.

"Our investigators have been through the remains and have found the dust of the vampires we hired." explained the lawyer. "From what we can tell is that they died before the fire."

"Have you any clues as to who it might be?" asked Nick Lance. "And what they wanted."

"Not at this moment." said the lawyer. "But we suspect from what the guard has told us from his hospital bed that it has something to do with this Brimstone you told us about."

Fury raced through Lance's body so much that he shattered the glass in his hand.

"The sooner we get Angel here and close that damn Hellmouth for good the better." growled Nick Lance. "I am growing tired of always having to move my treasure every time that demon decides that he is bored torturing souls in Hell!"

"But sir." said the lawyer. "The swords do in fact belong to him."

Nick Lance's head snapped around to face the lawyer. Lance could feel the One's fury try to push its way to the surface. The lawyer turned to Nick Lance as if she suspected what was going through his mind.

"I must remind you that if you kill any member of Wolfram and Hart then all contracts will be void." explained the lawyer. "And that is the contract you signed with the Senior Partners. We will no longer protect your investments from the likes of Brimstone."

"Understood." growled Lance getting the One's temper back under control. "Driver! Get us back to L.A as soon as you can."


End file.
